Blue Devils take Straits Conference lead

Saturday

Feb 2, 2013 at 10:35 PMFeb 2, 2013 at 10:37 PM

By Rob Roossports@sooeveningnews.com

SAULT STE. MARIE — Sault High has moved into first place in the Straits Area Conference.

The defending conference champion Blue Devils clipped Cheboygan 62-48 Friday night. Sault High (9-4 overall, 6-1 SAC) takes sole possession of first place in the Straits Area Conference — one game ahead of Cheboygan and St. Ignace, with three league contests remaining.

"I thought getting off to a good start was the key for us tonight," Sault High coach Bill Schomberg said. "The first two minutes were a little slow, but then we started getting things rolling and got some good looks. It was nice to get an early lead."

The Blue Devils led 36-20 at halftime. Cheboygan chipped away at the lead in the second half, but could never completely recover.

Ben Pearson scored 14 points but was the only player to hit double figures for the Chiefs (6-5, 5-2).

"They didn't miss too many early on, and we were always trying to play catch-up," Cheboygan coach Kevin Baller said. "It's tough to play that way.

"Turnvoers killed us, and we gave them too many second chances on rebounds," Baller said. "When you are playing a good team like the Sault and they miss, you have to keep them off the boards. We didn't do a good job of that."

The Blue Devils, who are shooting for their third straight SAC title, held a 43-28 rebounding advantage. Root finished with an efficient 5-for-5 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line.

Sault High got solid contributions from its bench, with Michael James putting up five points and Jeff Monck and Matt Eilola chipping in four points each.

"When we set our season goals, the first one on the list was to win the conference," Schomberg said. "We control our own destiny now, but we have to stay focused. St. Ignace comes up here next Friday, and we want to play a lot better against them than we did last time."

Sault High visits Pickford Monday, and plays host to St. Ignace on Feb. 8.